argh!

DH came home, and immediately plopped into bed for a nap.

:p:o:p

(the heat in May here is debilitating...)

so, despite my eyes burning... I'm coping with TWO fans on full-blast.

:(:mad::(

I just hope they don't lose control of it or anything, 'cause it's pretty DRY here right now...

the rains are due "soon"

controlled burns are how Maya farmers do their "Milpa" farming...

they're burning off a few acres of jungle brush, then they'll plant in the rich soil left behind, and move on...

The milpa cycle calls for 2 years of cultivation and eight years of letting the area lie fallow. Agronomists point out that the system is designed to create relatively large yields of food crops without the use of artificial pesticides or fertilizers, and they point out that it is self-sustaining at current levels of consumption....

The word is also used for a small field, especially in Mexico or Central America, that is cleared from the jungle, cropped for a few seasons, and then abandoned for a fresh clearing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milpa

CayoKay, Are you down by Mexico? Isn't that Central America? I put "Belize" on the net. BTW: What do you think of we Americans (lol) here in the USA calling the USA America? :p (I'm in Ohio, by the lakes up near Canada. I'm by the littlest one.)

here's where I am:

http://kayleon.ourbelize.net/map.jpg

I lived in California for 47 years... and moved to Belize 3 and a half years ago.

my life's dream was to have a little farm, and raise all my own food, and be independent as possible...

How often is Belize hit with hurricanes?

I saw that Brazil is free from the oil crises, cars run on hybrids that use sugar cane.

hmm, having your own farm. That is a nice thought.

last year was pretty unusual, with TWO Cat 5's looming over Belize.

one went north of us (Dean) and one went south (Felix).

I bought my land FAR inland, precisely for that reason:

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/2549/belizetd1.gif

we live close to the Maya ruin of Xunantunich, at the Guatemala border, about 80 miles inland.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xunantunich

as to how often hurricanes hit... well, a LOT less than Florida or the southern US Atlantic coast... actually, it's about every 20 years, according to experts.

Kay - Thank you so much for teaching us about Belize. It is truly awesome. Now, looking at the map . . . .I could be there in I think about a couple of days. I think - depending on road conditions. Heck, driving in Mexico is quite an experience and the roads really aren't too good. LOL.

Gonna call sandy and let her update yall for me I'm tired!

renee, please let sandy know how we can help. :hug::hug::hug::hug:

Renee I am home. Ring away. :hug:

Good morning all :) Sun is shining and have my usual morning cup of coffee.

Major muscle fatigue this morning. Think I was going at full tilt boogie with not working, lol. Now I'm paying for it. But it was worth it. ;)

I start a water aerobics class in June, so I think that will be cool. A one day a week thing.

Might join a yoga class or tai chi along the line, but after this week I think "baby steps" is something I need to remind myself of, lol.

Hope everyone has a great day! :grouphug:

morning back atcha, Jenn!!

been up since 7 .. went to sleep (I think about 3) .. checked into classes - so far, so good with posting there ...

finished a quilt top for the July wedding .. and a friend asked me to insert some elastic in sleeves for her .. have to get some paperwork out the door today ..

here's a weird dream I had ... :Crazy 2:

was having pizza :pizza: with Jethro (Mark Harmon) and his dad Frank at a pizza hut place ... when we left, I was backing up and smashed thru the wall at the pizza place ... with my present car! too funny .. .pretty weird ... :ROTFLMAO:

Woke up to a cool morning, good day to open the windows and let fresh air in.

The day we came back from NY, it had been in the 60's and upon arrival in PHX, it was 110 degrees. ugh.

That was Monday and the heat was on until today. A cold front has moved in and it will be only in the 80's today, rain sweet rain in the forecast.

Cool with the promise of rain.

This body may not work very well but this morning is beautiful.

Fin - Taking baby steps is a good idea. It is so easy to overdo it, well, at least for me. Some days I can go the speed of light and be fine. Then there are days when I am slower than a turtle. LOL. Most days I am somewhere in between and pace myself throughout the day. Water aerobics and yoga are great for us MSers. I am glad you found somethings to do so that you don't get hermititis. :p

Vonn - At 1st I didn't see the "dream" part of your post.:eek: LOL. That is a weird dream but with Mark Harmon in it, that would be a nice dream. :D

Hey everyone else! Hope you all have a good day.

Tricia ...

I KNOW

.. Mark Harmon is a better hotty NOW than he was when he was younger!!

I needed THAT dream!! LOL

Isn't it awesome!!!! I am going to sit on my patio in a bit and get my 15 min of vitamin D. When I saw the weather on the news last night I was thrilled. This 100+ carp was killing me. I slowed down so much, even in the a/c.

Yes, they're predicting a hot, hot one this summer.

BTW - Aarcyn, sent you a PM.

Hey all. I spoke with Renee last night. OK, apparently there may be a glitch in this so called divorce. Renee's husband entered the military in Texas so filing in Arkansas may not be legal since they were also married in Texas. Arkansas is tough on allowing divorces from those not legal residents there. So, hopefully they can get a continuance and or have it thrown out. He'll then have to travel to Texas or another state to file. Keep your fingers crossed because this would allow Renee to stay on her insurance a little longer and force him to face her and stand up.

MY UPDATE: I am going to speak with my mother. She started tripping out about flying here in early July. My oldest brother has stepped up and is going to pay for her ticket. She doesn't want to transfer planes for fear of one missing her flight, and two, getting upset and having another seizure. OK, the last part probably wouldn't happen since she's on Dilantin. Anyway, I called the airline and they will escort her everywhere and she said she doesn't trust them. Oy!

Sandy - First, I am glad your brother stepped up. That is a step in the right direction. I feel so much for your mom as she must be so frustrated and somewhat confused. Is it possible that a family member meet her at where she needs to change planes? Is there a direct flight?

Renee - I am sorry about all of this. I don't want to say too much as this is a public forum that anyone can read. I don't want to post something that may compromise your divorce proceedings. I'll send you a PM. Still keeping you in my prayers. :hug:

No, we don't have family in NC that could be there for her. The cost of a ticket if she changes planes is $142. If she went non stop it's $460. I would fly her out of Southwest but she's having trouble getting someone to drive her at night to Nashville. We'll see today what we can do.

:eek::eek::eek: Holy Carp! :eek::eek::eek: That is a huge difference. I say this in jest - can you tell her to "shut up and put up." LOL. I know you can't but with a $300 difference it sure makes you think that. I hope you all can work together and resolve some of this.

Good Morning everyone! The sun is out and it looks like a nice day here too. I am meeting a friend for lunch today and then I am going to the store in search of lobster claws; the kind of lobster claws you use to fasten jewelry. I have decided to make some bands for watches as I have given several bracelets to everyone I know. I will probably have to make a trip to Hobby Lobby or Michaels sometime to actually buy the watches (an hour away), but I think I can find the lobster claws at our local Wal Mart. Or I could probably order some online. shipping would be cheaper than gasoline.

Sandy, I do not know if it will help, but you can tell your mom that my mom who is eighty and who cannot hear (98% deaf and wears a cochlear implant that doesn't work too well anymore), flies and changes planes. They just escort her in a wheelchair is it is a large airport and she wants help. The biggest problem is canceled flights, but don't mention that to her.:eek: Glad your brother is helping out.

Finn, A friend and I are going to try out water aerobics at the local pool in a few weeks. I use to take water aerobics classes at the university, but the pool is too cold now for me. They keep it that way for the swim teams. I also use to take pilates classes, but there is no way I could do most of theose poses now. If I tried downward facing dog now, I would be on my face.:rolleyes:

Vonn -- Mark Harmon; yummmmmmm. I prefer George Clooney:D

I used to think he was cute.

then, he played Ted Bundy, and his face was forever ruined for me, ALAS !!

:(:p:(

but dream on ladies...

I love NCIS! But the season finale was a shocker at the end. It looks like except for abby, ducky, and jethro - there's going to be a whole new team next season. :eek: I liked the team as it was, so going to be interesting.

Thanks for the encouragement on the water aerobics thing. :)

I hear you. What was up with that? I watch NCIS every now and then and happened to watch it the other night. It was crazy. I guess some of the actors didn't want to be on the show or renew their contract. Maybe?

Glad Mark stayed. LOL.

Kay - Good thing I didn't see that. Now that would ruin it for me.

So far today I picked out stuff then packed for camping. Yesterday I rounded up the food. Boy do I feel :o we were looking & looking for our heater to use at night in there. It gets cold, sorta sleeping in a tent, at 44*. I looked in the camper when I cleaned it,then last night my DH went in there & found it. I forgot both seats lift up & then you can put stuff in. I only lifted one.

barb02, I understand where you live now but where were you in Illinois? Thats were DH goes for business trips. He goes to Ottawa. It's near Peoria, south west of Chicago. I have gone with him before & stayed in the room mostly (don't drive) & talked on my computer or watched TV.

I live in East Cental Illinois now;used to live in Ohio. I live about 150 miles from Peoria.

Lor, I live about one hour from Ottawa. :)

OK, stand back everyone. ARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! :hissyfit::ranting::deadhorse::Soapbox::hissyfit:: ranting::sad-dollar::Bang-Head::mf_argue::sad-dollar:

I just did my bills. Can you tell? :rolleyes:

http://bestsmileys.com/wow/2.gifthats neat, Sandy. I imagine this summer I will go back with him sometime & stay in the hotel. Maybe we can meet.

Good morning all :) Sun is shining and I have my usual cup of coffee. The kitties are curled up on the couch after waking me up wanting food, lol.

Another yard work day today. Really want to get this done before the warm up, since I become a puddle in the heat. :rolleyes:

Hoping everyone has a great day today! And happy memorial day to anyone going out of town. :grouphug:

Sandy, sweetheart ... this may sound 'dumb' ... but a round trip ticket is cheaper ... so get a one way for good old mum from NC to IL ... and a round trip for you from IL to NC to IL ... then you can come back with her (and make the stops etc) .. just a thought!

and NCIS ... Mark Harmon was on ET last week (when I caught it - just to watch him .. never saw him as Ted Bundy, yuk) ... but it sounded like Sean Murray (MaGee) ... will be working with him ... not sure about zeva or denozo .. oh, well ... like Sandy says - Oy!!

and about the divorce stuff, Renee ... nothing ends (like the insurance) until it's all final ... and make sure that you tell your lawyer that you don't want to share custody - concerning taxes for the next 10- 15 years (until the kids are 18 or 24) ... YOU are HH ...

suppose to get up to the 70s today and this weekend ... I've been enjoying this 60-ish weather ... not ready for the 'noodle-syndrome' yet ..

Thanks Vonn but I can't travel with mom. I cannot leave Jim for that long or anytime for that matter. I couldn't take the chance of a cancellation or what not so far from home. She'll be OK. I booked her trip and she'll change planes in NC. I requested a wheelchair so they will escort her to her plane in every airport. We cannot do a round trip since she'll be going back in January and you never know the weather here at that time. Plus, if she needs to go back early we don't have to cancel the dates which can cost up to $150 just to change on top of the ticket. She'll fly back Southwest to Nashville which is one way going home. But thanks anyway!

She will be coming on the 3rd of July and we are excited. I got a new mattress ordered and it will be here next week. She should have everything set up with her SS and doctor appointments by then. I stained my old dresser yesterday and it looks new now, ordered a bed set and just waiting for the rest to come in.

Ok, so today we are getting up to get ready for the Kid Rock concert. We have to pick Nik up at work since he couldn't get off the day. It should be a good night but cold darnit.

Have a great day everyone!

Lor - I hope you have a great camping trip. It sounds like so much fun.

Fin - Take it slow girl. I hope the weather will be great for you throughout the long weekend.

Vonn - Love the term "noodle-syndrome." That is a great analogy.

Sandy - Have fun tonight at the concert.

Hope you all have a good day and weekend. I am off to get ready to take DD16 to get her license and then out to the rental house for the rest of the weekend. Dining room will be finished by Monday, we hope.:rolleyes:

TGIF everyone! It is another chilly, dreary day here in central Illinois. So far we have had a little rain, but I keep hearing thunder. I am going to have a new (maybe strange?) experience tonight. A friend invited me to her house tonight to play bunco. It is a dice game that does not involve any skill -- just luck. She belongs to a group of women that meet once a month to play bunco, eat, drink a little, and talk. It is my friend's night to host and I guess you play for prizes. Of course being the complete nerd that I am, I goggled bunco to find out how you play and there were lots of web sites. Has anyone ever heard it? I also plan on going to see the new "Indie" movie this weekend -- Crystal Skull.

Sandy, I hope you all have a good time at the concert tonight.

What are the rest of you doing this weekend?

I wanted to ask all of you to keep my nephew Dustin in your prayers. He is 30 now, but has been sick all of his life. He had a kidney transplant about 11 years ago, and he is now in kidney failure and has started dialysis this past week. They are planning another transplant (my niece Megan (his sister) will probably be the donor, but his health is pretty bad compared to the last time. He is also losing his eyesight due to diabetes that has been caused by the last transplant and med's.

Barb, I am keeping your nephew in my prayers.

Sandy ---

Tell Renee to contact me...she has military insurance and HE CANNOT TAKE IT AWAY FROM HER LEGALLY, EVER!!! IT'S FEDERALLY MANDATED.

She is getting bad advice. Seriously.

Cheryl, I just pm'd you. Renee is checking her Pm's but isn't responding right now. She will I am sure when she gathers her energy and barrings back.

Thanks Sandy. She had asked for some information and I just wanted to make sure she got it.

:hug: to Renee.

She told me she got some information from you, I know that. She was grateful for it, so thank you for that. She just has so many pm's that it's hard for her to respond to all of them. She's been asking me to do her updates for her. She's still in shock and awe over what has happened. She loves him and her heart is broken. :(

OMG Renee!! :hug: I was just reading through the posts, trying to get caught up with everyone. I'm so sorry this is happening to you. You and your children are in my thoughts and prayers. If there's anything I can do, let me know.:hug::hug::hug:

hey all,
hey Sandy I thought when you were screaming it wasnt paying bills but putting gas in the car..hahahaha

here I took hte new job, 7 miles away...(my first mcds is right here walking distance...) and the gas prices have increased ever since ugggggg

Renee hugsss and more hugsss thinking of you...

all I miss being on more often, but between work and the kids...I only peek once in long while..but miss ya, hugsss, sarah

barb - I used to love Bunco. I even organized a group.

We each put in $10 and then had fun. A lot of laughter and talking, no one was serious about the actual game.

Most of the time, only a loser or two but most of us came home with the $10 we had put in but two people made a little more.

The break after the first two games was good food.

When we moved into this neighborhood, a Bunco group was started but it was a lot more expensive, very few winners and way too serious. It was shut up and roll the dice.:mad:

I hope you have fun, I think that is the way it is supposed to be.